As unlikely as it may seem a dispute over salvage rights between Turkish and Greek captains was the trigger for a series of events that escalated into a major international incident called the Imia crisis.
The quickly spiraling crisis motivated the deployment of both countries special forces the intervension of the United States, the European Union and the tragic loss of three Greek officers.
On December 26th 1995 the Turkish cargo vessel Figen Akat ran aground on the eastermost point of the islets of Imia which was seven kilometers away from the coast of Budrum, Turkey.
When the Greek tugboat appeared to help, the Turkish captain insisted that the tug was in his country's territorial waters. After the disabled vessel was eventually found to a Tukish routine salvage claim but the Greek skipper beyond the political wheels insisted that Imia is Greek.
On December 27th 1995, Turkey contacted Greek authorities as a precurser of declaring ownership of the two tiny islets.
The Aegean had been the backdrop for many years of repeated tension between the two supposed allies over the ownership of islands, islets, territorial waters and airspace.
What made the Imia situation different was in which the situation escalated involving the United States the European Union and the political leadership of both countries.
Athens denied the Turkish sovereignty claims and declared that the Imia islets are Greek.
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